This article introduces poikatsu. This is something that Japanese people have been doing in recent years to earn money for living expenses and hobbies against a background of rising living costs.
What is “poikatsu”?
”Poikatsu”(ポイ活) is the act of earning points that can be used to purchase goods and services. This is an abbreviation for “point (collecting) activity”.
Points can be earned in a variety of ways and can be exchanged for cash (yen) or electronic money. In this article, we introduce the advantages and cautions of Poikatsu, as well as efficient ways to earn points.
Advantages of Poikatsu
You can earn a certain amount of points on a regular basis
In recent years, prices have been rising all over the world. This is also true in Japan. In particular, the cost of food and daily necessities has skyrocketed. However, salaries are not rising easily. This is why many Japanese people have started poikatsu.
Points can be exchanged for money (yen) or used to purchase goods and services. Therefore, poikatsu can help people support their lives and earn money for their hobbies.
On average, the points earned each month range from 2,000 yen to 30,000 yen. In some cases, it is possible to earn more than 100,000 yen in a month. However, it is difficult to repeat this over and over again. Therefore, poikatsu is a way to steadily earn money of about 2,000-3,0000 yen each month.
Easy to start
Poikatsu can be done as long as you have a smartphone or PC. No specialized skills or knowledge are required. Specific methods are described below.
Effective use of time
If you can do Poykatsu at home using only your smartphone, you can do it in your spare time. You can make effective use of breaks from work or housework.
Some people may be anxious about speaking directly with Japanese people in Japanese. Even for those people, you have no problem. You can get points just by operating your smartphone in some cases.
How to earn points
Point sites
On point sites, you can earn points by fulfilling the point-earning requirements of advertisements posted on the site.
For example, free membership registration or application installation. The amount of points varies depending on each advertisement.
There are two representative point sites: hapitas and moppy. These are the most reliable sites in Japan. We will explain these sitesn another article. Other than that, some malicious sites are known to exist.
Poikatsu smartphone apps
The Poikatsu apps include those of the point sites mentioned above. Other unique apps are also available. For example, there are apps that allow users to earn points by uploading images of product receipts or by walking. It is Torima app.
We will explain these in other articles.
Point Cards
Various companies issue their own point cards. They are made of plastic or paper. There are also point card applications. For example, the Ponta Card application is a well-known.
To use a loyalty card, simply present it at the cash register when checking out.
Credit Cards
Some credit cards can be used to earn points. Rakuten Card is a well-known example.
Efficient method of poikatsu
Prioritize the common points of stores you often use.
Some points can only be used at one company or store. However, some can be used across multiple companies. Examples of the latter are Rakuten points and d-points. These common points should be given priority. For it is easier to earn and use points.
Which points are available at the stores you usually frequent? If you don’t know, find out first.
Use point sites
Using sites such as hapitas and moppy mentioned above, it is easy to earn points efficiently. Other types of sites and applications will be introduced in other articles.
Take advantage of special campaigns
Take advantage of limited-time special promotions when using point cards and point sites. This is a chance to earn more points than usual. We will introduce information on these campaigns.
Use credit card
This is a method of earning points by making purchases with credit cards. It is a good idea to choose a card that offers a high point redemption rate or a card that earns common points.
Credit cards can be used for purchases other than goods in stores. Many people use them to pay utility bills, Internet bills, etc.
Precautions
・ Avoid buying unnecessary products and services.
Your attempts to earn more points may result in buying unnecessary products. You may end up losing more money than you gain.
For example, on a point site, you may earn a lot of points by issuing credit cards. However, in some cases, you may have to pay its annual fee. Check the terms and conditions of the advertisement carefully.
Make sure that your expenses do not exceed your profits.
The solution is to think carefully about what you should buy. In addition, give priority to earning points for services and stores that you use regularly.
issue too many point cards and lose control.
Various companies issue their own point cards. So, the number of point cards you own may grow rapidly.
For the most part, points have an expiration date. If you have too many different types of points, you may lose control of them. Before you know the date, your points may have expired. This is a problem.
The solution is to check expiration dates frequently. There are three other things you can do.
First, give priority to earning points for stores and services you use frequently.
Second, give priority to points that can be used across multiple companies and services.
Third, register the barcodes of loyalty cards and apps together in your smartphone. Such apps also exist.
∙ Try not to spend too much time
If you immerse yourself in Poykatsu, you may end up spending too much time for Poykatsu. Gathering information on poikats tends to be time consuming. Be careful not to let it interfere with your work or household chores.
The most you can earn regularly from poikatsu is about 30,000 yen per month. This is not a way to earn large sums of money. It is a way to earn money steadily every month. Understand this and be careful not to spend too much time on poikatsu.
Nevertheless, advanced poikatsu players gather information about point collection on websites. However, most sites are available only in Japanese. Our sites are the rare ones available in foreign languages.
Beware of malicious sites.
Registering on a points site requires the entry of personal information. There is a risk that your personal information may be leaked. Choose a reliable site.
Our site will provide useful information for poikatsu.
